Water Cycle Flashcards
(50 cards)
What classifies as an input in the water cycle ?
Adding material to the cycle .e.g precipitation
What classifies as an output in the water cycle ?
Taking away material from the cycle .e.g. evaporation
What classifies as a store in the water cycle ?
Some where a material is kept or stored .e.g. glaciers
What classifies as a flow or transfer in the water cycle ?
This is the links between the stores e.g. infiltration, ground water flow and evaporation.
What are the 4 largest stores of water on earth ?
Hydrosphere
Atmosphere
Cryosphere
Lithosphere
Where is water stored in the lithosphere?
It is stored in the oceanic crust within rock structures and also in continental crust such as rocks , minerals , clay and as ground water .
Where is water stored in the hydrosphere?
It is kept in oceans , seas , rivers , streams, lakes and ponds.
Where is water stored in the cryosphere ?
This includes glaciers and ice sheets as well as frozen sections in the ocean .
Where is water stored in the atmosphere?
Water is stored in our clouds but can also be found in all layers of the atmosphere in the form of microscopic water vapours .
How are clouds formed ?
They are formed when water molecules join up together . As they rise the vapours condense and are kept aloft by raising air currents .
What is precipitation?
Precipitation is any form of moisture falling from the sky such as snow or rain .
What is “the entire area from which a drop of rainfall eventually reaches a river” ?
Drainage basin
What is the term used to describes the number of hours between maximum rainfall and peak river discharge ?
Lag time
Pervious is the ?
Rock quality permitting water to flow through it by means of fissures and joints
What is dynamic equilibrium?
A state of balance between continuing processes
What are the 3 Factors of convectional rainfall ?
- hight levels of insolation
- large amount of evaporation
- short intense storms
What are the 3 main factors of orographic rainfall ?
- air forces to rise up mountains
- rain on wind ward side of mountain
- air sinks and warms creating rain shadow
Facts on Greenland ice sheet
The Greenland Ice sheet is the 2nd largest in the world .
It hold 8% of earths fresh water.
1500 miles long.
If it were to all melt sea levels would rise by 24ft.
What is the watershed ?
The boundary of a drainage basin , usually a mountain range .
The loss of moisture to the atmosphere from plants via leaf stomata.
Transpiration
what is Water being absorbed by soil called ?
Infiltration.
What is the transfer of water over impermeable material ?
Surface flow
What is the loss of moisture to the atmosphere that resides on leaf,stem and branch surfaces plus from the internal structures of plants named ?
Evapotranspiration.
The movement of water through porous rock into the underground stores is called ?
Percolation .
